A relative says a shooting death early Wednesday morning was the result of a family feud.

The victim, Gary Campbell, 47, was found gunned down in his front yard at 2039 Tryon Courthouse Road in the Bessemer City area, about five miles from the Cleveland County line.

Campbell was mowing grass when he was shot by Robert James Lewis, of 2015 Tryon Courthouse Road. Lewis is the boyfriend of Campbell’s daughter, Kristen Walls. Walls and Lewis lived next door to Campbell.

Sid Lovelace, who identified himself as a distant relative, said Campbell and Lewis were related and had a history of violence.

“It was bound to happen,” he said. “It’s not unexpected.”

History of confrontations

At 7:37 a.m., police received a call about a possible shooting. They arrived to find one person suffering from a gunshot wound, according to assistant police chief Joe Ramey.

CPR was performed on Campbell, who later died on scene.

“The incident began with some sort of confrontation between an individual leaving his residence and the deceased,” Ramey said.

Police were aware of the bad blood between the family members. There is a history of domestic disturbances for the homes located in that area dating back to September 2007, police say.

“We believe at this point that it’s somehow related to that. It’s part of the ongoing investigation,” Ramey said. “… In this particular case we have some domestic issues here, disturbance issues here along with family members who are living side by side, their properties adjoined.”

Close quarters made the situation volatile, with quarrelsome neighbors who could not help but come into regular contact, according to the assistant chief. It appears a dispute got out of hand Wednesday morning, he said.

Campbell has a history of arrests for communicating threats and assault. Campbell’s wife and daughters all had filed protective orders against him, according to police. Those orders were still in effect at the time of the shooting.

This isn’t the first time shots have been fired in the feud, according to Lovelace. Just a few months back, Lovelace said, the victim was seen shooting at the home of the suspect. He’s not sure what originally happened to spark the fight.

Investigation continuing

No charges have yet been filed against Lewis, as the investigation is ongoing.

Gaston County Police are asking anyone who might have seen the crime or know of more information to call them at 704-866-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 704-861-8000.

“Whatever they may have seen before or after the incident is very important to us to help us figure out what’s happened here,” Ramey said.